HALO 3 & HALO BETA NEWS

Los Angeles, California—In a year when Hollywood is launching its biggest blockbusters ever, a video game is set to conquer them all. Halo® 3, the final chapter in the groundbreaking Halo trilogy, is set to shatter day-one entertainment sales records when it is released worldwide beginning Tuesday, September 25.

Master Chief lands on Xbox 360 in September.

Created by legendary developer Bungie Studios and exclusive to Xbox 360™, Halo 3 sets a new standard for interactive storytelling and social gaming by engaging players worldwide in Master Chief's epic battle to save humankind. Halo 3 will be available to audiences around the world starting September 25 and will release in Europe on September 26.

Entertainment Event of the Year"Halo 3 is much more than a video game release—it's the biggest entertainment event of the year," said Peter Moore, corporate vice president of Microsoft's Interactive Entertainment Business. "On September 25, we intend to deliver a finale that will go down in entertainment history and leave people around the world with an experience that will be shared and enjoyed for years to come."

Fueling the early buzz around Halo 3, Microsoft unveiled the Halo 3 multiplayer beta on the eve of its release at a star-studded event in Hollywood. Beginning May 16, Microsoft Game Studios kicks off the multiplayer beta, which provides audiences worldwide with an exclusive, early look at some of the multiplayer elements of Halo 3 on Xbox LIVE®.

The unveiling of the Halo 3 launch date comes on the eve of the release of the Halo 3 multiplayer beta, which debuts to audiences worldwide via Xbox LIVE on May 16 at 5:00 A.M. PDT and runs through June 6 at 11:59 P.M. PDT.*